Civil Rights & Immigration
‘Sanctuary cities’ could face legal liability for injuries caused by immigrants
Georgia’s so-called sanctuary cities could be subject to legal damages if someone in their jurisdiction is harmed by an undocumented immigrant, under proposed legislation. The bill’s author is Rep. Jesse Petrea, a Savannah Republican who filed legislation in past years to ensure Georgia isn’t home to sanctuary cities, which are banned in Georgia. If the […]
Proposed ban on organ transplant discrimination clears the House
A bill that would protect Georgians from being passed over for an organ transplant because of their disability cleared the House Friday. The bill – called Gracie’s Law for an 11-month-old Washington County baby with Down syndrome – easily moved through the House without opposition. It now moves to the Senate. “This bill prevents any […]
Faith leaders head to Capitol to promote values in state policy
A group of Georgia religious leaders from a variety of faiths are rallying together to influence the state’s approach to policies where they find common ground including criminal justice, access to health care and environmental causes. The Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center was at the Capitol in early January to support a bill that would […]
Georgia lawmakers aim to stamp out hair-based discrimination
WASHINGTON — About a year ago, a New Jersey teen was forced to cut his dreadlocks in order to participate in a high school wrestling match. The wrestler, Andrew Johnson, received a hurried haircut after he was told by a referee that his hair violated wrestling rules. He won the match and state officials opened […]
Martin Luther King legacy celebrated at Capitol Friday
Many of the social injustices Martin Luther King Jr. fought against before his death must still be confronted in 2020, his daughter Bernice King said during a tribute to the civil rights icon at the state Capitol Friday. Urgency is needed to combat voter suppression, housing discrimination, mass incarceration and a growing wealth disparity she […]
State lawmakers dust off decades-old ERA debate
A group of Georgia state lawmakers says it’s time to approve a 1972 U.S. constitutional amendment that aims to bar discrimination on the basis of sex. “It’s just amazing in my mind … that here we are in 2020 and we have to debate over this issue,” said state Rep. Billy Mitchell, a Stone Mountain […]
U.S. House passes legislation to crack down on voter suppression
The U.S. House passed legislation on Friday that would give the federal government broader authority to police voting rights violations across the country. The bill, a top priority for House Democrats, passed by a vote of 228-187, with just one Republican — Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania — breaking party ranks to vote for the […]
Decatur adopts LGBTQ-friendly law as annual rights list ranks Ga. cities.
This week, Decatur became the sixth Georgia city to approve a policy to protect people from discrimination by businesses due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. The new law figures to drastically raise Decatur’s score in next year’s Municipal Equality Index, an annual report that scores local governments inclusion of the LGBTQ community in […]
In the wake of Virginia’s blue wave, Congress renews ERA push
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House advanced a resolution on Wednesday that aims to ease the ratification of a Constitutional amendment that would ensure equality for U.S. citizens under the law, regardless of their sex. The Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced in Congress in 1923 and was passed overwhelmingly by the House and Senate in […]
Is DACA doomed? Supreme Court might side with Trump
WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of Georgia residents could lose protections if the U.S. Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to rescind an Obama-era program for immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. The court appears unlikely to salvage an Obama-era program that has allowed hundreds of thousands of young, unauthorized immigrants […]
DACA case heads to U.S. Supreme Court today
WASHINGTON — Can President Trump put an end to legal protections for a group of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States years ago as children? The U.S. Supreme Court will consider that question Tuesday — and its answer will determine the fates of hundreds of thousands of young adults across the country, […]
Ga. medical marijuana law offers new opportunities for minority businesses
Tianna Smith sounds like a marketing executive when she talks about the entrepreneurial opportunity she sees in once-forbidden products like medical marijuana and hemp. “As a startup, how can I get connected with a cannabis attorney or a CPA that is going to understand this cannabis space?” said Smith, as she describes her vision for […]